


birds fly in different directions

by Theo-Sev (Sevv7)



Category: RWBY
Genre: Established Relationship, Getting Together, M/M, Mentions of alcohol, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unreliable Narrator, references of canon character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22231570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sevv7/pseuds/Theo-Sev
Summary: i know that birds fly in different directionsi hope to see you againShort Ironqrow oneshots, additional notes included at the start of each chapter
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/James Ironwood
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Are You Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done for a prompt received on Tumblr: 'Are you okay?'

**Ja** mes’s day hadn’t been especially taxing, at least, no more than usual. Although between meetings - both planned and impromptu, mounting paperwork, and more than a few ‘urgent’ calls which could definitely have waited until the morning, James realised he hadn’t seen Qrow even once.

That wasn’t unusual in and of itself, but Qrow had been uncharacteristically quiet that morning, rolling out of bed with barely a word and disappearing almost as quickly, leaving only the open window sash fluttering in the crisp winter breeze as a hint as to how he had made his soundless exit. James had meant to check on him later in the day, when his schedule permitted, but he really should have known by now how optimistic it was to hope for a midday break.

James sighed, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes as he walked back through the halls of Atlas Academy back to his and Qrow’s living quarters. Students making their way to dinner hall in the opposite direction parted around him, some waving enthusiastically at their beloved Headmaster, others practically tumbling over themselves to avoid him. James noted a few names of the most guilty looking, filing them in his mind and promising himself he’d find out what trouble they had caused before it got too out of hand.

Slowly, the sound of his students faded out, leaving just the sharp clack of James’s boots on the polished floor echoing off the vaulted ceilings. While their rooms were across the other side of the academy from the dorms, classrooms and offices, James never minded the walk back. It was often the first chance he had to process his day, see how all of the small pieces of information he had received fitted into the bigger picture; and there was a _lot_ of information floating around these days…

James reached their door humming and lost in thought. He tried the handle. _Locked_. Again, not unusual - he had been out all day. But he’d expected Qrow to be home by now, given how early he’d left. It wasn’t that Qrow was a heavy sleeper - in fact quite the opposite, but he always tried to stay in bed with James for as long as possible, citing the need to be pressed up against James’s metal side in a bid to keep cool.

Not this morning though.

Stepping inside, James shrugged off his General’s coat. In here, there was no _General Ironwood_ , there was just plain old James. It wasn’t as if the title had ever meant anything to Qrow; in fact, Qrow loved James _despite_ his title, not because of it.

And speaking of Qrow… where on Remnant was that man?

James paused by the writing desk sat in front of the window in the main living room. _Nothing_. No note, no explanation of where he was, nothing. James slumped into the chair, exhausted and frustrated. He couldn’t pretend that the tensions which were running high in Atlas weren’t impacting on his workload. It felt like all he did at the moment was put out fires, only ever able to concentrate on the most pressing problem, and all the while the paperwork built.

He could really use a hug.

The sharp rap on the window snapped James out of his reverie. He leaned in his chair to peer into the bedroom, seeing a familiar black shape perched on the window ledge. With a small smile, James stood, non metal joints aching in protest at not being allowed to rest after a frantic day. The tapping got steadily more insistent as James approached, stopping only when he unlatched the window and pushed it open.

Qrow flew in, transitioning back to his human form as soon as he was clear of the glass pane of the window and landing in a crouch on their bedroom floor.

James watched, wrestling to keep his emotions off his face (because he had to at least pretend to be annoyed or Qrow would never learn) and waiting for Qrow to get up so he could ask him where he had been all day.

But Qrow didn’t get up. Didn’t even look up and acknowledge James. He just stayed there, hunched over low to the carpet, unmoving but for a small tremble in his shoulders. And then, slowly, he dropped, collapsing on the floor in a heap.

James sprang into action, following Qrow onto the carpet in one swift movement. “Qrow?” he asked gently, placing a hand on Qrow’s shoulder and feeling the tremors shoot up his arm. “Qrow?”

No response.

 _Oh gods, he’s hurt._ James moved his hand from Qrow’s shoulder and slid it under his legs before wrapping his other arm around Qrow’s back and lifting him easily.

From this angle he could finally see Qrow’s face. He looked pale, with haunted, bloodshot eyes. James scanned the rest of his boyfriend’s body for traces of blood, or limbs at strange angles. _Nothing_. James breathed an internal sigh of relief at Qrow’s physical wellbeing. Whatever was wrong with him clearly wasn’t a medical issue. Was that worse?

James frowned, trying not to let worry bleed through into his face. He walked them both over to the bed and set Qrow down on top of the plush duvet.

“Qrow. Come on. Talk to me.”

Qrow finally looked at him, glassy, vacant stare sending shivers through James.

He swallowed. Opened his mouth. Closed it again.

“Are you okay?”

“I… I nearly… I was so close…” His voice shook as he tried to get the words out.

James sat on the edge of the bed, letting Qrow bring up his knees and curl in on himself.

“Shhh,” he whispered, reaching out to run his fingers through Qrow’s hair because he didn’t know how else to help him. “You can tell me when your ready.”

Qrow keened, breaking into quiet sobs.

James waited, cautiously continuing with Qrow’s hair but remaining otherwise still.

When Qrow spoke next his voice was hoarse, “I went to a… a _bar_.” He forced the last word out with horror. James felt his heart sink.

“What happened?” he asked carefully. Non judgmental, because he honestly wasn’t. He’d seen how much Qrow had struggled with his sobriety in recent weeks; he’d seen that look in his eye sometimes when meant James needed to distract him, bring him back out of his own head before he did something he’d regret. And this time James simply hadn’t been there.

“I didn’t. James. I didn’t but I wanted to. I wanted to so bad and it was there and I didn’t think I was strong enough but I didn’t I swear. I didn’t. I didn’t.” He was still shaking, tears forming on his eyelashes and steaming down his cheeks and breaking James’s heart.

James pressed a kiss to his forehead, sliding down next to him and wrapping him up in his arms. He couldn’t smell alcohol, and Qrow, while devastated, wasn’t acting as if he’d been drinking.

“I believe you. You did great Qrow. Why are you crying?”

He watched Qrow gasp for air, struggling to form words through the sobs that tore through him. “S-” he tried, “S-Su-” His eyes went wide and he clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a scream. “Oh gods James. She’s dead. She’s dead.”

Fear shot through James mixed with adrenaline as his mind raced to figure out who Qrow was talking about. Where had he been? What had _happened_ there?

“Who’s dead?” Level voice. Good. Don’t make him more upset.

“S-S… Summer. She’s dead. She’s gone. Not coming back,” and then, “James!” Qrow rolled over to face him, burying his head into James’s chest.

Oh. It made sense. James had never known the date it happened. But it made sense. The escape this morning, the bar, this - here, now. Qrow had retreated back to one of the worst days of his life, and he’d been out there living this hell all day, _alone_. Why hadn’t he said something, James could have _helped_.

“Qrow…” he whispered softly, unsure what to say when he knew that no words could help.

“Just be here, James,” Qrow murmured around the tears. “Stay with me. No one ever stays with me. Please stay.”

James felt tears of his own pricking at the corners of his eyes at the terror in Qrow’s voice. “I’ll stay,” he promised, “Forever. I love you.”

And Qrow broke. Right there, on their bed, Qrow fell to pieces. And James just hugged him through the tears, heart aching for the pain his man was dealing with. But there. Always there.

The next day James cancelled all his meetings. It wasn’t in his nature to abandon his work when his country needed him, so he had his paperwork delivered to their rooms instead. His scroll rang off the hook and to his credit he managed to answer all but one of the calls.

And he never, not once, left Qrow’s side.


	2. Truth (or dare)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done for Ironqrow Week 2020, Day 1: Opposites Attract

“ _James Ironwood_?” asked Raven, incredulous. **  
**

Qrow dipped his gaze, afraid of what he’d see if he met his sister’s eyes. He felt Raven lean closer on his left. He should have known she wouldn’t be happy about it. Atlas had had a certain reputation amongst their bandit family; Qrow had almost forgotten, but Raven had clung to it with the same fierce intensity as she did with everything relating to their… home.

“Why him?” Summer cocked her head thoughtfully and placed a reassuring hand on Qrow’s right knee as her eyes flickered between him and his sister.

Qrow looked down at the drink in his hand and sighed. He didn’t play drinking games for exactly this reason - things always got said that he regretted.

At least the alcohol helped to take the edge off.

“It’s because he’s hot, right?” laughed Taiyang, earning him a light elbow in the ribs from Summer’s other arm. “What? It’s true. I mean, _I_ would.” Tai ducked then, preempting Summer’s disapproving but playful hand aimed at the back of his head.

“Ah…” Qrow looked at Raven again, still quiet, something unplaceable in her expression. “Yeah, I guess it’s just that,” he lied.

Summer’s eyebrows pinched into a frown. _Of course_ she knew, Summer always knew. No matter how Qrow tried to hide things from her. It was one of her most annoying qualities.

“Okay, okay,” he started, directing a lopsided grin at Tai, “truth, or dare?”

The evening flew quickly after that. Qrow had dared Tai to leave a lewd voicemail on their TA’s (Mr Port’s) scroll. Tai had gotten as far as the beep to signify he could start his message before he bottled it, and he had downed his drink as punishment per the rules of the game. Raven had laughed at that, and again at the face Tai had pulled when the burn of the drink Qrow had mixed for him hit the back of his throat. Tai had picked her next, his face turning bright red as she whispered in his ear while she made good on his truth question ‘ _what would you do if we were locked in a room together for an hour_ ’. Their game was doomed, at that point.

They played a few more turns as Tai fidgeted and Raven shot him winks whenever he looked at her. Finally they made their excuses, which included Raven giving an exaggerated yawn to back up her claims of being ‘exhausted’.

Qrow and Summer had left, then, under precisely zero illusions of what was about to happen.

“Fancy a walk?” Summer asked Qrow, flinching as the door was hastily pulled shut behind them.

Qrow nodded, it was cold in Vale at this time of year, but the alcohol sent a pleasant heat coursing through him, wrapping his thoughts up in soft cotton and lulling him into a feeling of relaxation he hadn’t experienced for a while. A walk sounded good.

Summer pulled her hood up as she led the way out of the building which housed the student dormitories. “So,” she glanced up at Qrow with a smile, “James?”

Qrow took a deep breath of the cool night air and grinned. James… where to even start to explain. Yes - as Tai has said - he was attractively, ridiculously so, _inconveniently so_ (as Qrow had experienced during one of their sparring classes, when he’d had to stay behind ten minutes after class until he could get up from his desk without announcing to everyone quite exactly how much he appreciated watching James fight). But it was so much more than that. There was so much about that man that Qrow respected, and… _adored_?

“Qrow you’re blushing,” giggled Summer.

“Huh?”

“Yep, you’ve turned bright pink!”

Qrow made a noncommittal grunt, she was definitely enjoying this.

“Do you think he’s _dreamy_?” she teased.

“Uh.” Qrow could feel the heat in his cheeks now, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He loved James Ironwood and he (or at least the alcohol clouding his thoughts) didn’t care who knew it.

“You do!” Summer gasped. “N’aww.” She threw an arm around him in a half hug and laughed as he stumbled.

They walked a little further, passing through intermittent pools of light thrown out by the high windows of beacon’s soaring towers, each lost in the swirl of their own thoughts.

“Can I ask why?” Summer said, eventually breaking the silence with a repeat of her question from earlier in the evening. “ _I know_ it’s more than just looks. You’ve never acted like this about any of the other guys you’ve hooked up with.”

Qrow thought about that. She was right, of course, Summer was _rarely_ not-right. But it was difficult to put his thoughts into words. Some things he understood; James’s combat prowess, his strength and skill, the way he thought through problems to find not just a solution, but _the best_ solution. And there were plenty of things Qrow didn’t understand, too; James was well spoken and thoughtful, sensitive and caring, such a far cry from Qrow - rash and headstrong, broken and messy… he was rough to James’s soft.

But James didn’t care about that - about all the ways Qrow was inferior. Sometimes Qrow wondered if he noticed them at all, because when he was around James he was just _better_ , _everything_ was better.

And maybe that was all Qrow really needed to know, because maybe that was all that was really important.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!


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